Taylor Swift, in addition to failing to thank her new husband, Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce, never named “I Knew It, I Knew You” at Sunday’s VMAs, but she may have opened her first real Oscar campaign anyway, according to a report by entertainment industry insider Katey Rich of The Ankler.
Swift accepted the first VMAs Artist Director Honors and premiered “Patient Zero,” her 18th self-directed video, made with three-time Oscar-winning cinematographer Emmanuel “Chivo” Lubezki and starring Colin Farrell and Dakota Johnson along with Swift herself, according to Variety.
But according to The Ankler, the song Swift is hoping to carry her to the ultimate honor in Hollywood is the Toy Story 5 ballad she wrote with Jack Antonoff. “I Knew It, I Knew You” debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 after its June 5 release, according to an earlier Ankler report.
Taylor Swift’s Oscar Attempts With Soundtrack Songs
Swift has never landed an Academy Award nomination. “Beautiful Ghosts,” her Cats co-write with Andrew Lloyd Webber, collected Golden Globe and Grammy nominations but missed the Oscar shortlist.
“(I’m Gonna) Love Me Again,” an Elton John tune from the biopic Rocketman, won that year. The nominees were songs from Toy Story 4, Breakthrough, Frozen II and Harriet, according to Harper’s Bazaar.
“Carolina,” from Where the Crawdads Sing, also failed to obtain a nomination, this time for the 95th Academy Awards. “Naatu Naatu” from RRR won. The other nominees: “Applause,” “Hold My Hand,” “Lift Me Up” and “This Is a Life.”
Her other film songs also never reached Oscar territory. “Safe & Sound” won a Grammy and “I Don’t Wanna Live Forever” earned a Grammy nomination, while “Today Was a Fairytale” peaked at No. 2 on the Hot 100, according to Billboard‘s movie songs ranking. But the Motion Picture Academy never came calling.
Travis Kelce and the Oscar Speech Question
Swift left Travis Kelce out of both VMAs speeches, which covered craft, fans, collaborators and Dolly Parton, according to Sports Illustrated. The Kansas City Chiefs beat the Miami Dolphins 24-10 that night. The couple were married July 3, 2026, at Madison Square Garden.
Will Kelce get an Oscar shout-out if Swift finally takes home the statue?
At the iHeartRadio Music Awards in March, Swift called her The Life of a Showgirl album “happy and confident and free” while pointing out Kelce, the subject of several songs on the album, in the audience. That night, March 26 at the Dolby Theatre, remains their only awards-show appearance together. She walked the carpet alone and he joined her inside, according to People.
They skipped the January Golden Globes, according to Cosmopolitan. The 99th Oscars land in March 2027, well after the NFL season, so no Chiefs game conflicts with the ceremony.
Swift’s odds look better than before. IndieWire and The Hollywood Reporter named her song the early Oscar front-runner in September. But the field is crowded. Lin-Manuel Miranda’s “Along the Way” from Moana and “Save the Day” from Hoppers are both in the mix, according to Gold Derby.
Rich picks The Debut’s “This City May Have Chewed Me Up (But Hasn’t Spit Me Out)” as the favorite. But Swift, Rich wrote, commands attention to a degree that almost no one else can. Can she use it to bring home the Oscar?
Taylor Swift Quietly Sets Sights on Oscar at VMAs Without Travis Kelce: Report